As soon as everybody was gathered at the Tala Gallery, Bro. Adam started by asking for the definition of the word "INSTRUCTION" and he did not fail to get immediate answers from his seated crowd. However, the first game started as a test to find out who really knows how to follow "INSTRUCTIONS"... At first there was silence.. everyone seems to be very serious... until suddenly, someone broke the silence by singing a heartfelt song.. " Twinkle twinkle little star...How I wonder what you are! ".. after this courageous act, the rest followed singing the same song. Others seem to be secretly kissing their test papers. ( there's no sense in denying since everything was caught on video.. hehe ) Then I heard a loud cry, "I KNOW HOW TO FOLLOW!!!"...but the best part is when almost everybody reached the last two items of the test.. the feelings of.. disgust.. regret..and embarrassment suddenly filled the gallery. ( I think somebody even threw his test paper away! While others just couldn't stop laughing at themselves.

Well, It's too late, before we realized that we only have to follow instructions in items number one and two. We knew the definition of the word "INSTRUCTION" but we never knew what it really meant ( sigh ). But to calm everybody down, Bro. Adam read a few verses from the Bible, just like what Bro. Eliseo Soriano and Kuya Daniel Razon do when they want to instill valuable lessons in us. They always get them straight from the Holy Scriptures. Here are the verses, 1 Samuel 15:1-24, but with emphasis on this verse:

 "Samuel said,  “Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices  As in obeying the voice of the LORD?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,  And to heed than the fat of rams.''                                                                                                                                          I Sam 15:22( NASB )

Right then, we all learned that we don't just need to follow instructions correctly but we should make sure that we follow the CORRECT instructions CORRECTLY.. (unfortunately, we had to learn it the hard ( but a very funny ) way ^^ .

The next game taught us to value leadership and to always give respect and to learn how to submit ourselves to those who are given the authority to lead. The attendees grouped themselves into three teams, each having a prophet, a king, and two participants to play "The Jeepney and the Jeepney-driver game". The driver would be in control of the blindfolded human jeep, and it's pretty obvious how difficult it was to navigate a blind-folded person using only the sense of touch. Painstakingly, the blind-folded human jeepney should follow the leader's command,avoiding obstacles until they reach their destination. However, during the last rounds of the game.. when the blindfolds were removed.. the jeeps suddenly ran much much faster! leaving the driver far behind! 

Could you imagine a jeep running without a driver? It would definitely lead to a disaster. Same is true in real life situations, especially in fulfilling our tasks and duties. We have to recognize the Chain of Command. We should learn to submit ourselves to those in authority. We're so lucky to have leaders like  Bro. Eliseo Soriano and Kuya Daniel Razon to reach closer to THE GOAL we should try to run as fast as we can, but we should NEVER leave them behind.

What is TEAMWORK? The answer to this question was revealed to us in the third game. Here's how it works:

Each group was given a bottle with a tube inside. The tube extends a few inches outside in order to support the Smiley ball. The team must put the ball on top of the bottle using a scotch tape roll, tied with 10 strings. The team must transfer the ball, by just holding one string per member. ..( It's quite complicated but you can take a good look at the pictures and you'll see what I mean. )

Creativity was very crucial in this game and it was a major factor why TEAM 1 (  my team ) came up with a very unique strategy... a " well-planned strategy..."Did our strategy work? ... Now that's a tough question.. Yes, it actually worked!  We made everybody laugh! hehe...Despite our very entertaining feat, TEAM 2 won the game (sigh). 

Still, lots of lessons were learned in this game. Timing was inevitable and each member should apply equal forces when pulling the strings. If anyone pulls his string harder than his teammates', the ball would fall. In reality, it's the same thing. Working with a team means that you work as one unit. Each may have his or her unique abilities but teamwork balances everything out. Success is attained when everybody works with a common frequency or a common faith to reach the goal. Obviously, it would be so hard for one person to lift a heavy load, but when that load is shared by more than two or three persons everything becomes a lot easier.

[Note: In other versions of the game, an egg was used. Once the egg drops, it breaks. So it means that there is no room for errors. The egg or the ball, may also symbolize our leaders. Putting the egg on the bottle, shows our responsibility to support their work in preaching the Gospel abroad.]

That night, I didn't even notice the passing time and how I wish we had more time to play some more games. The event was jam-packed with lots of fun and laughter together with lessons learned. In addition to the joy brought by the event, I also realized so many things. I was deeply humbled. There were so many lessons, that made me realize my mistakes and shortcomings. I realized the value of the things I often took for granted before, like teamwork, cooperation, camaraderie, etc. When I looked closely at Tay Rene as he received his gift together with warm birthday greeting from everybody, I couldn't help but notice his smile. His smile showed his deep appreciation. I also saw in his teary-eyes, that through the years he's always been very grateful to GOD in being a part of the Artists Guild. Without him saying a word I can tell how he really loves the group and his duty. During the last Thanksgiving, Bro. Mel Magdaraog emphasized that there is no other group in the world, like the Artists Guild. Just to be a part of this group is certainly, a GIFT from GOD. A gift, that we should value and always be thankful for.